Largest NA Muslim Festival Comes to Toronto

MuslimFest, the largest Muslim festival in North America, returns to Mississauga Celebration Square in suburban Toronto this weekend and over 30,000 visitors are expected to take part in the occasion.

“The festival is a unique cultural fusion that combines Islamic traditions and Canadian culture, enjoyed by attendees from different backgrounds and age groups,” said Tariq Syed, the Event Director of MuslimFest 2017.

Featuring local and international artists, concerts, stand-up comedy shows, workshops, films and documentaries, the festival begins on Friday, August 4, and runs until Sunday evening, August 6.

“MuslimFest is an award-winning annual festival in Mississauga that celebrates the best in Muslim arts and entertainment,” stated the event organizers.

“The event features over 80 local and international artists who showcase their talent in various genre or art.”

“Today, this festival is considered North America’s largest Muslim festival of its kind, attracting over 30,000 attendees annually,” added MuslimFest.

“Providing youth with opportunities to share their culture with the broader community, MuslimFest is a great place to engage with art from around the world, connect with your local community, and learn something new.”

Canada 150

The festival will open with a flag hoisting ceremony featuring 150 children singing the national anthem and the Canada 150 exhibit that showcases the heritage and growth the Muslim community has brought to Canada in the last 150 years.

“We hope that it inspires the community to continue to actively contribute to Canada in the future,” said the organizers.

“This exhibit will also act as a medium to build positive dialogue about the Muslim community amongst our neighbors.”

The opening ceremony will include Qur’anic recitations by the two world-renowned reciters, Qari Saad Nomani from Saudi Arabia and Qari Ahmad Mian Thanvi from Pakistan.

Over the weekend, the main stage performances include comedy entertainment by Hollywood’s Maz Jobrani, Omar Regan, along with Canadian Salma Hindy and Little Mosque on the Prairie producer, Zarqa Nawaz.

Maz Jobrani, who is a founding member of The Axis of Evil comedy tour, has recently been in the news with the debut of his Netflix comedy special, Immigrant, on August 1st.